How to Survive a Panic Attack

Panic attacks affect many Americans everyday. Most people will only have one or two panic attacks their whole lifetime. Others, like myself, suffer from panic attacks on a daily basis. These panic attacks can happen at any given time and can last for up to three to four minutes. I have heard of rare cases of people suffering the symptoms for up to ten minutes. Symptoms for panic attacks usually include the following: shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, hyperventilation, dizziness, cold chills, a feeling of helplessness, choking, smothering, and a fear of dying. Most of these symptoms do not happen at the same time. One persons panic attack can have completely different symptoms from another persons panic attack.

During my treatment for panic attacks I have learned that stress is a huge factor in the occurrence of these attacks. I did not realize at first that I was experiencing panic attacks. I assumed it was a more serious condition such as lung failure and at one point I thought I was suffering from a heart attack. I was hospitalized numerous times for them to do tests only to find out that I was perfectly healthy. One trip to the emergency room proved very educational. The doctor on duty told me I was suffering from a panic attack. I have spent thousands of dollars on emergency room visits just to find out my life threatening illness wasn't all that life threatening. That doctor changed my whole outlook from that point on. Now I know I am not suffering from a heart attack or lung failure or a chronic undetectable rare disease. I knew panic attacks could be treated. Shortly after that emergency room visit I found a psychiatrist that knew about panic attacks and how to treat them.

But what was causing these panic attacks? That is what I wanted to know. I wanted a permanent fix to my problem. I went to the psychiatrist and was told there is no known cause for panic attacks. They can be hereditary, triggered by another phobia, brought on by depression, or a side effect of bi-polar disorder. I was prescribed medication and sent home with an appointment for the next month. The medication did help some but it did not cure me. I finally reevaluated my life to see if I could treat myself. I use to be panic attack free. Yet not I was suffering from severe disabling panic attacks. I was afraid to leave my house for fear of having another panic attack. It had to stop.

Upon reevaluating my daily activities I realized that lately I had been under more stress than usual. I was working a job that required me seven days a week, 365 days a year. I wasn't sleeping right. My home life was even suffering. I finally understood what I needed to do. The stress had to go. I was lucky enough to be able to quit my job and find one that was a lot less stressful. I also started setting aside an hour everyday where I could be alone and relax. After these few changes I noticed a reduction in my panic attacks. But I still wasn't completely cured. So upon the next visit to the psychiatrist I told him I was still suffering from panic attacks but they weren't as severe. I asked him if there wasn't something that could be done to stop them completely. He offered me therapy.

To this day I still suffer from panic attacks but I have learned how to survive them. The first thing you must do is schedule yourself an appointment with a local psychiatrist who can prescribe you the medication and therapy you will need. Whenever a panic attack does occur you need to stay calm and relax. I have found it very helpful to keep telling myself "It is just a panic attack, I am not dying, it's just a panic attack, I am not dying." Breathing deeply also helps. I also recommend any relaxation techniques because they alleviate much of the stress that you may not even realize you are suffering from. As I mentioned before stress is a huge factor in the recurrence of panic attacks.

Some individuals can be completely cured of panic attacks. They are the lucky ones. For the rest of us, we just have to learn how to deal with these brief periods of terror in our lives.